India, April 8 -- The Central Government announced that Telangana led the country in cotton procurement during the 2023-24 season, with 40 lakh bales purchased by 31 March - the highest among all states.
Maharashtra stood second with 30 lakh bales, followed by Gujarat with 14 lakh bales. Other states included Karnataka (5 lakh bales), Andhra Pradesh (4 lakh bales), Odisha (2 lakh bales), and Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab with 1.5 lakh bales each.
According to an official statement, the cotton was procured from over 21 lakh farmers across major cotton-producing states. A total of 37,450 crore was paid to these farmers under the procurement programme.
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) set up 508 procurement centres across the...